If My Heart Was a House You'd Be Home
by Nightengale
Summary: Martha Jones/Mickey Smith/Tom Milligan; Their marriage may not be what one expects on Earth; they've seen other planets, but Earth is their home and they make their marriage of three work.


The three of them married on Belaarus 2.

The Doctor told them Belaarus 3 was really the place to go with the ice flows at 20 degrees and swimming pools while it snowed.

"Buildings made of ice, gorgeous when the light catches it and all with spring time temperatures!"

However, someplace that really looked like spring was more to their taste. Not exactly a June wedding on Belaarus 2, instead the ceremony boasted red leafed Bobar trees with beautiful white flowers which looked like snow drops, white grasses glinting in the sun, and a perfect orange sky. The Doctor said it looked as bright as the skies of Gallifrey in the high season.

All three of them wore red as was custom in the Belaarus system, not to mention they would hardly be able to wear white if they'd decided to follow Earth tradition to the letter. Martha and Tom stayed fairly simple, she in a dress which tied around her neck and he in flowing pants and shirt. Mickey couldn't seem to shake everything about the classic Earth ceremony though and decided to wear a tie. Tom told him it made him look dashing while Martha just smiled.

The ceremony was a short one, the three of them in a circle holding hands around the Belaarus candle of joining. Mickey had looked skeptical at first about a candle being the center point of their marriage. However, when the ceremony actually took place and they stood around it together, the blue flame burning high, his smile was radiant. A few words, a few promises, and three kisses joined them together with a flash of the flame, married.

The event boasted only a small number of guests. The Doctor and Jack both came, of course. Martha would have surgically removed a number of their internal organs if they hadn't. Gwen and Rhys came as well with noises from Jack about how they 'deserved to get off planet at least once.' As for family, Mickey had no one left and Martha had been unable to tell hers about her plural relationship. Tom, however, did have his sister Sarah and her partner Maggie in attendance. Thus, the group was small but happy.

"How does it feel," Jack asked, "being married?"

Martha glanced over to the grass where her husbands danced to some music The Doctor had chosen for 'just such an occasion' playing from the TARDIS. Tom whispered something in Mickey's ear making him laugh. Martha turned back to Jack with a smile.

"It feels perfect."

Looking over again, Martha saw Mickey tickling Tom's side with one hand but holding him fast with the other so he couldn't escape. Then Jack lightly touched her arm.

"It's not going to be easy."

Martha breathed in slowly watching her husbands, Mickey finally relenting with the tickling as Tom kissed him. "I know..."

"If you go home to Earth-"

"Jack," she said sharply, "I know."

"No, Martha, you don't." She finally turned her head to look at him as he spoke. "Humans are pretty slow moving in some areas; takes them awhile to accept things they don't understand and they are dangerous when they're scared. And you three will fall right into that area."

"Jack, I... not... not now."

Jack sighed then nodded. He smiled his captain smile at her and kissed her on the cheek. "I know the three of you can do it despite," he waved a hand through the air, "all that."

Martha laughed once and smiled back. "Thank you."

"Plus," Jack's jovial tone returned, "the three of you are way too attractive together."

Martha couldn't stop a boisterous laugh.

"Martha!" She turned to look over at Mickey's voice.

"If you ever need anything..." Jack's voice was cautious again.

"I'll know who to call," she replied giving him a smile as Tom ran over and took her hand.

"Come on, Ms. Jones," Tom said, "It feels a bit empty dancing over here without you."

* * *

They first lived on Togas in their own small house where the three of them lived as a happily new married triple. It only lasted six weeks.

Martha loved the rains, Mickey loved the festivals of color every half cycle, and Tom loved Togan food, rich with tangy spices. But something in the light gave Martha constant head aches, Mickey hated the rains, and there was no way Tom could be a doctor there.

So, they tried out a suggestion of Jack's: Parsaroon.

"Quiet little planet by my tastes," Jack said, "too many afternoon teas and pink sunny days but the traditional relationship form of the planet is the triad!"

The sky was blue just like home and felt much like the English countryside apart from the residence populous being blue in hue as well. They found a perfect triple flat in one of the beautiful circular buildings which dotted the planets small cities. Their next door neighbors above were a triple of three females while their lower neighbors were just like them, two males and a female.

Funny thing though, when Jack had said 'quiet' he hadn't been joking. The Parsaroons possessed no vocals and, thus, communicated by telepathy alone. Even the Doctor's wedding present of universal translators couldn't help there. Though surprisingly Tom seemed to have some natural ability for psychic communication it wasn't enough, certainly not to counteract the eerie silence for more than three weeks.

Next they shipped out to Napten, one of three populated planets around a rare blue burning sun. It had seemed like a good fit, bustling space port cities full of all manner of aliens, excitement, and places to go.

"It's like Coruscant!" Mickey said showing his nerd credentials.

Not to mention they found a hospital specializing in teaching multiple species anatomy which Tom and Martha practically had to be forced to leave each day. There was one problem, however.

"We have to go; the Chancellor has asked me to marry her."

Martha and Tom's heads both snapped up. "What?"

"The Chancellor," Mickey repeated slowly, "has asked me," he pointed to himself, "to marry her."

Tom placed his hands flat on the table. "Well, did you tell her you were already married?"

Mickey held up a finger. "That's why we have to go, unless you'd like to wait around for her guards to make me legally available."

Martha stood up with a sigh. "We need to just stop letting you out of the house. Everyone falls in love with you."

He glared. "I try."

For an interim period the three of them spent their time between planets on a comet mining space freighter. Martha couldn't help remembering the last space freighter she'd been on while Mickey said something about 'being glad there were no eyes in the metal work.' Tom just wowed the crew with his cooking. The shinning point of the two weeks spent aboard for the three of them, however, lay in discovering the fun of zero gravity sex. Martha made a note to mention it to Jack when she next saw him.

Then they lived on Mahsten Prime, a planet of water where the inhabitants lived on large islands in the air traveling in between them in ships riding on the never ending winds. The crystal buildings reflected the light so they changed color depending upon the time of day. Each island city specialized in different businesses, one even being medical research. Also, as luck would have it, the indigenous people of the planet were humanoid, nearly identical to the Earth variety apart from their purple eyes.

They spent the longest period of their marriage, five months, living there with crystal on all sides; Mickey captaining a sky cruiser while Tom and Martha expanded their ever growing alien anatomy knowledge; and even new friends, the couple next door, Capia and Lux from the university, and, a few blocks over, Lady Bestor to fill their days.

"So good to see happily married people these days," Lady Bestor said to Martha. "You have such wonderful husbands. You are very lucky."

Martha smiled. "Don't I know it."

But when civil war came to the planet all aliens were forced out no matter how they may have wanted to stay.

In the end perhaps it was meant to be. Maybe it was even a little silly to have tired. They were human; they belonged on Earth even if Earth would give the three of them problems for the simplest of reasons which had never been the problem on any other planet.

* * *

London is their first choice on Earth, they're all city people but it's a dangerous place. Three happily married people would have trouble passing themselves off as roommates or something else to the busy intrusive life of London. While they would like to think that the English could be accepting they know better and find themselves a house down a long twisting driveway about twenty minutes outside of the city.

Mickey wants a shed.

"Why?" Martha asks. "Lawn mower?"

He just smiles at her. "You'll see."

He builds it himself from instructions he finds on the Internet, though his husband and wife think he could have managed it just fine on his own. Once he has the supplies he does it all in one day with Tom and Martha helping out now and then to pound a nail or add some paint.

Once completed he moves in boxes and boxes of things, keeping his spouses out until it's completed. Once Mickey opens the double doors into the small space it becomes perfectly clear. On the walls hang a bundle of various items; one wall with photos and souvenirs, the other with guns from small to combat ready. Nothing hanging on the wall, except maybe a few guns, originated on their planet. There are three chairs to the one side and a table at the other plus a small bookcase in the corner. On the table are a few more things, a telephone, a candle which burns a blue flame. It seems contrasting but it's not.

"One life in here..." Mickey says. "Plus I didn't think you two would fancy guns in the house but we're not getting rid of them."

Tom laughs.

"Right, you laugh but you never know who might come to this planet. Think of the Cybermen." A cloud seems to pass over Mickey's face for a moment.

Martha nods, remembering a year that never was. "You're right."

Then Tom pulls them both close, kissing their cheeks. "It's also a lovely sort of bat cave!"

The dark clouds melt away and all three of them laugh together.

Tom wants a garden.

"Why a garden?" Mickey kneels down beside Tom digging in the dirt at the side of the house. "We have plenty of trees."

Tom laughs. "Trees are not a garden."

Mickey sighs. "Yeah, got that, but a garden you have to take care of."

"That's sort of the point." Tom hands Mickey a trowel. "I can plant things, watch them grow. It's relaxing."

Mickey looks at the garden tool in his hand with mild disgust. Shaking his head, Tom takes the trowel back, placing it on the ground beside him.

"Such a city boy."

Tom picks up a bulb and puts it into the hole he had made. Mickey watches him for a moment then flips his legs around so he's sitting cross legged. He nudges Tom's hip with his knee.

"Is this a doctor thing? Keeping stuff alive or what?"

Tom nudges him back. "Eh, maybe. Plants are a lot simpler than someone's heart though. Digging in the dirt now and then is nice, keeps you grounded."

"Zing," Mickey says.

"It just..." Tom pauses. "It just makes me happy."

Mickey smiles and leans his shoulder again Tom's. "I'll watch."

Martha wants sun roofs.

Their house is a split level. The living room on the back half of the house has a high ceiling leading up to the roof. The second floor stairs are in the front hall and the second floor landing looks out into the living room before you turn to the right to go down to the large master bed room, study, and bathroom. Only the kitchen and library on the first floor are roofed by the second floor. So, Martha wants a sun roof in the living room and a sun roof in the bed room.

"Isn't one enough?" Tom asks. "Do we really need the one in the bedroom? I get the living room, nice bringing light in with the ceiling so high, but the bedroom?"

"I get it." Mickey puts an arm around Martha.

Tom looks at the two of them silently smiling at each other. He shrugs, still in the dark.

"It's so we remember," Martha answers.

"What?"

"When we go to bed each night we can see those stars and remember all the places we've been, the places we've lived."

Tom slowly smiles, realization growing. None of them need to say that the stars can also remind them they're not alone in three.

* * *

"Martha," Tom says almost as soon as she comes in the door.

She puts down her bag slowly looking between Tom and Mickey standing beside him. Mickey looks furious. Tom glances briefly at the other man.

"What's happened?" She asks.

Mickey huffs loudly, crossing his arms and looking away. Tom puts a hand on his arm but Mickey shrugs it off. He looks between them both once then throws up his hands.

"I'm not talking about this! It's fucking ridiculous!"

"Mickey..." Tom starts.

"No," he points at Tom, "Gwen was right, this planet is just backward. I wonder why we bother protecting it. Should just let the rift tear it apart!"

Mickey turns away and stomps up the stairs until they hear a slam above. Martha turns her gaze back from the stairs to look at her husband. She raises her eyebrows once to which Tom sighs. He takes her arm and walks them into the living room to sit on the couch.

"He's blowing it out of proportion," Tom says shaking his head and putting his palms together.

"Just tell me."

"Mickey came to the hospital today," Tom begins. "We went to have lunch, came back, and Mickey gave me a kiss goodbye. Terra saw."

"Oh boy..." Martha sighs.

"She thinks I'm married to you."

"You are married to me."

Tom gives her a withering look then goes on. "It gets worse. Since Terra likes to stir up trouble she took it upon herself to confront Mickey outside the hospital."

Martha shuts her eyes and clenches her teeth.

"Yeah," Tom continues as she opens her eyes. "She called Mickey a tosser and me... well... when I came out I thought Mickey was going to punch her. He started to try and tell her about our marriage so of course I tried to stop him.

"Oh dear, Tom..."

"Well, I... you know I couldn't let him... Terra would tell the whole hospital and... and I told him he couldn't expose us." Tom sighs as he says it.

"Tom!" Martha clasps his shoulder. "How could you do that? You know what that's saying, that we're something that needs to hide."

"I know!" Tom snaps, leaning back against the couch. "I panicked."

Martha puts her face in her hands, leaning her elbows on her knees. Perhaps she and Tom working at the same hospital hadn't been such a good idea after all. She'd wanted to break out of UNIT and it's military atmosphere. Going back to work at a hospital with Tom had seemed like a perfect idea.

"I know he just wants to be a part of our work life." Martha turns her head in her hands to look at Tom as he speaks. "It's a connection you and I share that's hard for him to be part of what with him at Torchwood; I understand." Tom closes his eyes as he mutters. "It was impossible for us to pretend to not be married when we work together."

"Tom," Martha stops him, "You and I both know we don't want to shut Mickey out of any part of our lives. It's three here not two and Mickey can be jealous."

"Martha..." Tom opens his eyes.

"He is, Tom; he's prone to jealousy."

Tom stands up from the couch, arms crossed. Then he turns back to Martha. "I can't blame him; I can be too. You're both mine and I just wish everyone could know that."

Martha stands up centimeters in front of Tom and kisses him. "So do I."

Tom wraps his arms around her, hands on the small of her back. They rest their foreheads together both thinking of happy days and places where these things shouldn't happen. Tom leans back and kisses her forehead.

"Should we go get our husband?"

Martha nods and holds his hands. "Yeah."

Tom and Martha quit the hospital that week. Tom moves on to London Bridge hospital and Martha back to UNIT, only as a physician this time she hopes. Sometimes it's safer for them to be apart. After all, if they all work apart then it's all the better to come home.

* * *

Sometimes they go on vacation off planet. A quick call to Martha's UNIT heads or a buzz to Torchwood or even Jack, where ever he might be at the time, and they can find themselves on the midnight beaches of Temparti or rock climbing in low gravity on Zizie. If its off Earth they can go somewhere that trinary marriages are not illegal or looked down on or even uncommon. They can be together the way they really are and not the way they are forced to live outside their house because of the views of Earth.

They spend three days on Mtree and have a picnic under the purple sky. It's almost sickeningly romantic so to make up for that they then go sparring at the bazaar. Tom and Martha win their fights but Mickey loses with as little grace as expected.

They meet up with Jack on Proxima 17 so he can show them around the capital city. He suggests a number of shops all but two of which are dedicated to sexual pleasure or sexual practice. Martha picks up a book on trinary sexual positions, Mickey buys three multi-colored 'personal massagers' and Tom won't let them see what he gets but Mickey thinks he spots ruffles.

They go to the Palsara space station to visit Capia and Lux from back on Mahsten Prime and meet their new husband Drax.

"It's a triples trip!" Tom whispers to Martha as Mickey is shaking hands with Drax.

She can only stifle a laugh.

They go sky fishing on Bolbus after hitching a ride with some dignitaries meeting with UNIT. Mickey and Martha turn out to be quite excellent in low gravity at catching the sky fish but Tom is less than impressed. So, he cooks the fish that night for dinner instead.

Their vacations may be eclectic and not the kind where one takes snapshots but the three of them are always happy.

* * *

"We saw the Doctor today," Martha says as the two of them come into the kitchen.

"You come back at 8:15 in the morning from a 'seek and destroy mission-'"

"It's not seek and destroy," Mickey cuts in. "Going freelance means we can decide how-"

"And," Tom continues cutting Mickey off, "the first thing you tell me is you went to the doctor while you were gone? Please tell me one of you didn't get shot again." He points a finger at Martha. "I knew you should have stayed with being a doctor. I said if one of you ever-"

"Shh, shh," Martha hushes Tom, rubbing her hands down his arms. "No one got shot."

"No one that didn't deserve it," Mickey amends.

"What I meant was we saw _The_ Doctor," Martha says.

"The Time Lord from our wedding?"

Mickey smiles. "Hey, you remembered I told you he was a Time Lord!"

"I remember everything you say, dear." Tom closes his laptop on the counter and turns around on his stool to face them. "So, _The_ Doctor then?"

"Yes, and he may have in fact saved our lives." Martha pulls a box of cereal out of the cupboard. "Again."

"You can't remember everything I say, Tom."

"I can remember a lot, Mickey, especially when it comes to you."

Martha snaps her fingers drawing the attention of her husbands. "Do you want to hear this?"

"I was there." Mickey gets the milk out of the refrigerator and hands it to Martha as she gives him a half hearted glare.

"Of course," Tom supplies, "do finish."

"There's really not much else."

Martha glares at Mickey briefly while pouring milk into her bowl. "Well, whatever, it was just strange. He didn't say anything to us and it was just a moment but it felt..."

Martha trails off looking at the wall.

"Felt like what?" Tom prompts.

She turns back to Tom. "Like he was saying goodbye."

Tom and Mickey both look at her as her eyes slide slowly back to the bowl of cereal in front of her. Mickey gazes over her head at Tom and makes a jerking motion. Tom stands up and moves to Martha's side, Mickey on the other. Her head comes up and she smiles at both of them.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter." She touches both their arms. "Not when I have husbands like you two."

"Me mostly," Mickey says.

Tom just snorts.

"Shut up, you spoon with him more than me. Who's the favorite there? I'm liable to start being jealous."

"What!" Mickey's mouth drops open as Tom begins laughing. "Who's playing favorites? I am not!"

"You did start it." Tom kisses Mickey on the cheek. "But I still love you."

"You're teaming up against me."

"Oh?" Tom says slinging an arm around Mickey's waist. "I thought you liked that."

Martha holds up a 'got ya' finger at Mickey's grin. "Well, when you put it that way."

"So good to be home!" Martha says, joining Tom in holding Mickey.

She smiles despite the feeling at the back of her mind; another friend out of her life, one of the few who loved them as they were. It's all right though. She knows the Doctor isn't really gone. Plus, she has all she needs in her arms right here.

* * *

_It's not going to be easy…_ Jack's words still echo sometimes in the corners of her mind.

Life rarely steers an easy course for most. Some things make the time pleasant, exciting, something better than hard and harsh and cruel. Some things make life a thing of happiness. But not everyone's happiness is the same and not everyone's happiness can see the light of day.

Sometimes three is better than two despite what others think.

They go out in London together. It's a great town and hitting the bars is a welcome retreat from days apart working in crowded hospitals, UNIT outsourcing holes, or who knows where Mickey went that day.

So, the three of them go out together and knock back the pints. They are all fairly evenly matched when it comes to who will be falling down first. Martha has the disadvantage of a smaller body size but she doesn't let that stop her keeping up with her husbands most times. Strangely enough this night Tom speeds ahead in the drink race reaching the drunken point before Martha or Mickey.

"We should find a place to dance!"

"Tom?" Mickey looks at him like he's cracked.

"Oh, come on!" Tom wraps his arm around Mickey's shoulders, nose pressed into Mickey's cheek. "I know you can dance. You have, I've seen it, I've done it. We should dance." He pries his face out of Mickey's and looks at Martha. "Back me up! Come on."

Martha giggles, feeling her three pints swimming toward her head now. "He's got a point and when was the last time we cut a rug?" she says the last bit with a shake of her hips.

Mickey looks between the two of them, clearly out voted. He grumbles an assent and leads his spouses out of the bar to find them 'a place to dance.'

They find a loud, dark club and make their way to the floor with the throngs of other people. The one good thing about dancing is it's not uncommon to do in threes with the way people grind together now. They have no complaints there. Mickey may not be the best at it, even with Rose he'd tried to avoid dancing despite her love for the activity, but now is an exception. Tom dances like a champ while Martha moves like water gliding between them. They press together in a line, arms intertwined. They feel hot, sweaty, perfectly drunk and move happily in time with the sound all around them. Then someone jerking Tom back by the arm breaks the spell.

"Oi!" Tom snaps.

"Fancy a turn with me then?" the woman clinging onto Tom's arm asks, three sheets to the wind more than any of them.

He tugs his arm out of her hand. "No, thanks."

Martha and Mickey glare in her general direction trying to emphasize the point that this man is quite busy.

"Oh, come on." She leans her chest against him making purring noises. "I'm worth a spin or two, believe me."

"Hey!" Martha snaps, shoving the girl back. "He said no, so take your skank somewhere else."

"Oi!" A blond appears behind the original woman. "Don't you be shoving her, you cow."

"You what?" Mickey snaps.

"What's this?" The blond says pointing at Mickey. "Your protection, pretty girl?"

Mickey grabs Martha's arm before she swings out a punch. Tom pushes both women apart.

"Just lay off!"

"I just wanted a dance," the first woman says, moving in front of her friend, "no harm in asking right? If your friends weren't such bloddy tight-arsed tossers I - "

"Don't you fucking talk about my - " Tom cuts himself sharply off as Martha grabs his arm in a warning.

"Your what?" the blond asks.

Tom doesn't respond.

"Come on," Martha tugs at Tom's arm and pushes back on Mickey's chest. "We've stayed here long enough anyway."

"Oh no!" the first woman gasps with realization and her face contorts into a vicious grin. "What is this some sort of ménage à trois? Get your kicks that way do you?"

Tom's teeth clench as Martha bites her tongue, Mickey's steady hand on her arm.

"It is!" She continues. "That's just right then isn't it? Boy, girl, boy. Best of both worlds?" She looks at Martha. "Slutting it up?"

The blond barks a laugh in Tom's face. "One not enough you, got to have it both ends?"

Tom and Mickey both attempt to lunge forward at once but Martha in between stops them with arms to their chests. The two women cackle with laughter, people all around staring at the scene by now. They can't fight back, can't tell the truth. The sound rings in their ears, almost blocking out the music it hurts so much.

They go home with no desire to dance again for a while.

* * *

Parties at the Smith-Jones-Milligan residence are rare occurrences for various reasons, distance, work, non traditional marriage questions. This does not mean, however, that they never happen. After all, Tom loves to cook and his talent should be shared with a wider audience than just Martha and Mickey.

"Okay!" Gwen counts on her fingers as she goes through the list. "I'm female, American, not fictional - "

"We sure about that?" Mickey says.

Martha hits him on the arm.

"Still living," Gwen continues with added gusto, "over 40, and sometimes an actress." She makes a slightly confused face.

"It's not your major claim to fame." Tom grabs a chip from the bowl on the table. "Though I really liked - "

"Don't!" Tom's sister Sarah shouts. "You'll give it away."

Rhys laughs, dunking some celery in the dip. "Just ask about the clothes and she'll get it." He cups his hands in front of his chest.

"Oi!" Martha waves a shushing hand.

Gwen looks between them, lips tight for a moment then gasps. "Madonna!"

They all groan and she takes the card off of her head and flips it around to look at it. She grins and places it dramatically on the table in triumph.

"How did she get that?" Maggie asks.

"We'd just been talking about the cone bra the other day." Rhys laughs, fingering the card reading 'Stephen Fry' on his head.

"Cheating..." Mickey mutters, 'Jack Harkness' stuck to his forehead.

"At least you weren't Margaret Thatcher." Sarah points to all of them accusingly.

"It's not teams, you know," Mickey continues undeterred pointing at Rhys who just shrugs in response, completely unrepentant.

Martha kisses his cheek. "Sore loser?"

"I haven't lost yet."

"That's a yes," Tom says, draping his arm over the back of the couch behind Martha.

"Who's next?" Gwen asks.

Before anyone can answer they hear a ding from the kitchen. Tom jumps up and jogs out of the room.

"Dinner in five!" He calls back.

"Damn, the table's not set." Mickey gets up and pulls the card off his head. He turns it over then glares down at Martha. "Harkness?"

She winks. Mickey drops the card in her lap, gives her a kiss then heads over into the dinning room. Sarah and Rhys begin to clear away the empty hor d'ourves plates as Maggie goes to help Tom in the kitchen. Gwen slides over to Martha.

"So, two better than one?" She asks with mirth in her tone.

"Don't be too jealous."

"But really..." Gwen pauses after a laugh then looks right at Martha. "You know we're always here for you and support you."

Despite herself Martha cannot not help but feel just a bit touched and she smiles. "Thank you."

They bump shoulders with unspoken memories and experience between them, husbands and aliens alike.

"Hey." Tom's head peeks around the door. "Enough wife talk, come eat."

The both giggle and shake their heads.

"As you wish," Martha calls.

* * *

Their bedroom boasts a king size bed with a green comforter and five to six pillows depending on how Tom feels that night. Martha thought a queen would have been fine but Mickey insisted they would need the room.

"Who knows what we might need to do." Mickey gave an unconvincingly innocent look.

"Sex," Tom supplied.

Martha couldn't argue with that.

They switch off places in bed. Mickey is especially fond of being the lucky one in the middle but Tom and Martha don't let him be selfish every night. Plus, sometimes they switch places during the night anyway. Tom rolls in his sleep which makes him a common candidate for the edge. Martha gets up almost like clockwork for a glass of water at 4 in the morning. Mickey claims its residual Doctor influence. Whether he means the job or the person no one's sure. So, it really does make sense for the calmest sleeper who never gets up in the night to claim the center. Still, share and share alike!

"Tom?" Martha asks to the dark.

"Yes?"

"I take that to mean you're not asleep."

"Maybe I'm talking in my sleep."

"You're not," Mickey says. "You don't sleep on your stomach."

"Cheeky."

"Sometimes I don't know how you deal with us," Martha goes on, her tone serious.

Tom turns his head on his pillow to look at Martha lying in the middle. "What?"

"Before I called you… before I turned up in your life the only aliens or weird social interactions you had to deal with were going to work and the occasional Dalek in the sky."

"Martha…"

Her voice suddenly sounds the slightest bit choked and both men sit up a bit to look down at her. Mickey puts a hand over hers.

"Stop it." She looks at him. "You're starting to sound all maudlin and I will kiss you 'til you're speechless if you keep it up."

"Trading maudlin for poetic?" Martha says, a smile coming to her face.

"I'll take it." Tom leans on one elbow facing the other two.

Martha sighs. "I just…" She sighs again glancing quickly at Tom. "You could have had a normal life free of such insanity that comes from being around the universe a few too many times." She throws up her arms once. "You wouldn't have even thought of this."

"Martha..." Mickey sounds astonished.

"Hey." Tom touches her cheek and she turns to him. "I love you and I love Mickey and if you two weren't in my life then I wouldn't be happy."

"Fate?" Martha raises an eyebrow.

Tom smiles. "Just more poetry."

Mickey begins to laugh.

"Also, who are you to say that I wasn't allowed to see the universe too?" Martha blinks in surprise. "You and Mickey gave me that. I wouldn't take back our life on all those other planets." He grinned. "No one else lives a life like us. It's worth it all."

Martha stares at him like she's just seen him.

"Oh my god." She kisses him. "You are the perfect man."

"Oi!" Mickey sits up.

"You too, dear," Tom says stroking Mickey's cheek.

"Surrounded by perfection," Martha says with a genuine smile returning to her face.

They all laugh and lie down again, arms entwined, wrapped up in each other, close as can be.

* * *

In the end they are happy. They're married, they're together, the three of them, they are happy.

Tom cooks the best dinners, keeps all the flowers alive in the garden, hits Martha with snowballs, avoids night shifts at the hospital, and keeps the three of them grounded. Martha drifts in and out of UNIT, collects books, changes her hairstyle, learns to play chess with Mickey, and holds all their hearts in her hands. Mickey restyles the shed way too often, meets more aliens than expected, surprises Tom in the shower, buys too much American music, and protects their life together as if it were the whole world.

They've seen the Earth; they've seen off the Earth even more. Now, they see their life together, the three of them. It's unconventional, it's not the norm for most on Earth but it's their's and they won't give it up.

"I love you."

The three of them say it every morning. It's true every time.


End file.
